This invention relates to a vehicle step for use in mounting a high ground clearance vehicle, and more particularly to a step which will not be damaged upon being struck by an obstruction during the operation of such vehicle.
In vehicles of the large earthmoving type, it will be understood that the normal ground clearance thereof may be sufficiently high that a step is needed to gain access to various portions thereof, including the operator station and numerous service areas. The step, which by necessity must be within easy reach of the ground, usually necessitates that at least the bottom portion thereof be placed below the normal ground clearance of the vehicle. Therefore, the step is in a location where it is highly susceptible to damage by being struck by obstructions and the like as the vehicle is moved from place to place. This is especially true for earthmoving vehicles, such as tractor-scraper vehicles, which are driven over rough terrain littered with obstacles such as bolders, mounds of dirt and the like.
Thus, the use of a permanently fixed step of rigid construction has not been satisfactory due to the likelihood of the step being damaged and/or rendered unserviceable after a short period of service. Attempts to solve this problem by providing a felxible or swinging step have had limited success primarily due to the fact that they lack sufficient strength to withstand the abuse to which they are subjected and, thus, have a limited life expectancy or they lack sufficient lateral rigidity to keep the step in its proper position when being used to mount or dismount from the vehicle so as to prevent possible injury to the operator, such as banging his shins against the frame or the like.